Less than half
the 3+ hours running time in this final volume of Koopman’s
cantatas cycle is actually taken up by cantatas. Furthermore,
two are very closely related, with five movements containing
essentially the same music in each. In addition to the cantatas,
we have performances of Bach’s four missae, all of which
are parodied from other works - although four movements have
no traceable model. The listener may thus be forgiven for
dismissing these performances as non-essential, albeit potentially
interesting. However, having spent a considerable number of
hours with this set, I am pleased to be able to recommend it
wholeheartedly. The standard of musicianship and vocal performance
is very high indeed, even if the recording quality is sometimes
lacking the warmth and richness associated with the likes of
Herreweghe (Harmonia Mundi) and Suzuki (BIS).

The first disc
opens with BWV 80, one of Bach’s greatest cantatas, composed
in its final incarnation for the Reformation Festival (October
31). The opening chorus is widely recognized as one of Bach’s
most brilliant contrapuntal masterpieces, in which an instrumental
canon frames all four voices and continuo to produce a dense
seven-part texture. Some listeners may find the organ pedal
used to reinforce the bass part in this movement too forceful – it
certainly appears to drown out everything else at certain points. However,
I found it a rather fitting device for demonstrating the power
of the text (‘A mighty fortress is our God,
a sure defence and armour’). Beyond the first movement, the
cantata is also particularly notable for two beautiful duets
(movements 2 and 7). The second movement, for soprano and
bass, is beautifully sung and the musicianship is superb. Likewise,
the pastoral movement 7, for alto and tenor, is exceptional
here. Indeed, listening to singing of this calibre has alerted
me to one of the few relative weaknesses of the competing cantata
project undertaken by Masaaki Suzuki and Bach Collegium Japan
(on the BIS label). For all its many strengths, Suzuki’s series
is sometimes let down by one or more of his vocalists. Whereas
that series is graced by many very fine soloists - and some,
such as James Gilchrist appear in both series - they are not
universally excellent. Conversely, there does not seem to
be a single weak point in Koopman’s choice of soloists – they
all perform tremendously, at least throughout this volume. Furthermore,
Koopman is the most musicalof directors and perhaps
less interested than Suzuki in the message conveyed by the
text. This, of course, can either be an advantage or disadvantage
depending on your predilections – but I find his emphasis on
bringing out the musical texture of both instrumentation and
voice highly persuasive.

BWV
30, also on the first disc, was written for the Feast of
St John the Baptist (24 June), and first performed some time
between 1738 and 1742. It is a large-scale work, adapted
from an earlier secular cantata BWV 30a (see below). According
to the booklet notes, the orchestral forces are identical
in both works – however, this is not correct – Bach removed
the three trumpet parts and the drums that are present in
the secular work, presumably in order to provide a more solemn
performance for the sacred feast. Instead, BWV 30 is scored
only for two flutes, two oboes, strings and continuo. The
work opens with a wonderful, driving chorus followed, after
a bass recitative, by a pleasant if pedestrian aria, describing
how John prepared the way for the Lord. Bach’s adoption
of his earlier secular music to provide new church music
has been criticised through the years because the music is
deemed an inappropriate ‘carrier’ of the sacred texts. The
alto aria (Part I, mv 5), has often been offered as a case
in point, with W.G. Whitaker complaining that “there is absolutely
no relation between text and music”! For me, I have to say
I don’t care whether the music fits the words or not here – it
is simply one of Bach’s most beautiful musical creations. If
listeners agree, they may also want to dig out Magdalena
Kozena’s rather wonderful performance in her disc of Bach
Arias from 1997 (Archiv 457 367-2).

Other
highlights of BWV 30 include a superb bass aria (Part II,
mv 2), well sung by Mertens, although I found the tempo rather
too brisk. There is also a stinging soprano aria, with incisive
and convincing playing by the orchestra. Finally the formal
opening chorus is repeated, rounding off an exhilarating
and uplifting performance.

So
how does this music sound in its originally intended secular
setting (BWV 30a)? The cantata was composed to honour Johann
Christian von Hennicke, who was presented with a fiefdom
near Leipzig in 1728. The trumpets and drum (third disc,
mv 1) certainly add great splendour to the opening chorus
and none of the arias disappoint. In this work (but not
the sacred version), each vocal part takes on a ‘character’,
with the soprano representing ‘time’, the alto playing the
role of ‘fortune’, the river Elster represented by the tenor
and ‘fate’ represented by the bass voice. My comments on
BWV 30 also apply here, with consistently excellent musicianship
throughout. Christoph Prégardien takes on the role of the
tenor, but otherwise the vocalist line-up remains the same. The
only aria not to be borrowed for BWV 30 is mv 11, a short
but pleasant piece expressively sung by Prégardien.

The
remainder of this volume is taken up by the four missae (plus
movements 1 and 5 of BWV 80, parodied by W F Bach, but which
have no place in J S Bach’s cantata). These are relatively
neglected works, although it is encouraging to see that a
number of recordings have appeared in recent years perhaps
most notably by the Purcell Quartet on the Chandos Chaconne
label. All the masses share a similar structure, beginning
with a single Kyrie movement, followed by a four movement Gloria. Although
it may be inappropriate to consider individual movements
out of the context of the entire work, I will highlight five
movements as representing some of the finest music Bach ever
composed. In BWV 236, the Gloria chorus (mv 2), adapted
from Cantata 79 is an astonishingly beautiful and powerful
piece of music and played better here than in any other performance
I have heard. The duet for soprano and alto (mv 4), also
originally from the same cantata, is similarly expressive. The Cum
Sancto Spiritu chorus that rounds off BWV 233 (second
disc), taken from Cantata 40, has a wonderful horn section,
brilliantly played by Andrew Clark and Jorge Renteira. The
gentle Kyrie from BWV 234, performed at a relaxed
pace somehow reminds me of the majestic choral tradition
exemplified by Karl Richter’s approach at its most refined. Finally,
the Domine Deus from the same work contains a glorious
singing line for solo violin, played by the appropriately
named Margaret Faultless.

Overall,
I could find very little to fault in this final volume of
Koopman’s series. It has been a mammoth and sometimes problematic
endeavour - including the series being shelved by Erato part
way through completion and the setting up of the new Antoine
Marchand label. Considering how quickly the series has been
organised, recorded and released, the quality is amazingly
high and frequently matches or exceeds that of the other
cantata projects currently under way. This volume is an
appropriately fine way of rounding off an important and excellent
project.

Reviews
from previous monthsJoin the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the
discs reviewed. detailsWe welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin
Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to
which you refer.